Potato-cutter.



D. o. RULE, JR. POTATO GUTTER. APPLICATION FVILED JULY 29, 1907.

Patented Dee. 8, 1908.

1HE Naam: persas co., wAsHmaroN, n. 1:.

- 'UrrnD DANIEL O. RULE, JR., OF GREEN SPRING, OHIO.

POTATO-CUTTER.

Specicaton of Letters Patent. l

Patented ne. e, 190s.

Application led July 29, 1907. Serial No. 385,994.

To all whom 'it may concern,

Be it known that l, DANIEL C. RULE, Jr., a citizen of the United States, and resident of Green Spring, county of Seneca, State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Potato-Cutters, of which I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description, such as willv enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The objects of the invention are to provide a device for slicing vegetables into vDarts of substantially the same size, and the device is particularly adapted to cutting potatoes into small portions for planting, so that the eyes of the potato will be separated and they can be scattered to plant more than one hill.

The invention comprises stationary knives and plungers designed to convey the potato against the knives and further consists in the arrangements of the knives and plungers in banks one above the other the upper bank containing` only one knife and plunger, and the lower banks containing knives and plungers in multiple numbers thereof, each bank of knives and plungers being a multiple in number of the bank next above it. As a result of this arrangement each potato is first divided into two parts and each part again subdivided into equal parts until the potato is subdivided into as many parts as may be desired. Y

lhe invention further consists in the reciprocating mechanism for the knives, in centering devices for bringing the several potato parts into central alinement with the cutting knives, and in the combination and arrangement of the various parts as hereinafter described and shown in the accompanying drawings, and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is avertical longitudinal section of the device; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

In these views 1 is the frame of the machine; 2, 3, and e are floors therein; 5, 6, 6, 7, 7, are vertical knives secured in the floors and in transverse bars in the frame. These knives are laced as follows: There is one 5 centrally faced in the upper floor, two 6 are placedp in the middle floor and four 7 are placed in the lower floor.- The knives are equally spaced in each floor and are set therein rigidly.

8, 9, 9, 10, 10, are plungers; the one 8 upon the upper is adapted to push one potato droppdl into the opening l1 into contact with 'fe 5. The forward end of the upper plunger is provided with inclined edges l2, which tend to throw the potato toward the center so that the knife 5 will cut it squarely in two. Inclines 13 upon the iioor, oneon each side of the knife serve to assist in accomplishing the same purpose. As soon as the alves of the potato are separated by knife 5, they fall into the middle floor, one on each side of the central partition 14; they are then pushed backward by means of the plungers 9, 9, which are provided with similar inclined edges 15, 15 by means of which the parts are centered to meet the knives 6, 6. Similar inclined strips 16, 16, are also placed upon the 4ioor. lhe potatoes fall from these knives upon the third floor between partitions 17, 17, and are pushed forward by means of four Iplunger eads 10, 10, against knives 7, 7. nclined edges 18, 18, are added to the plungers to bring the potatoes centrally against the knives. In this manner when the machine is full, the potato is cut into 14 parts and a fresh potato is fed into the machine with each re'ciprocation. In this manner the vegetables are rapidly cut into parts the pro er size for planting. I

T e plungers are extended rearwardly and attached severally at 19, 20, and 21 to a vertical crosshead, 22, a transverse bar 23, and connectin rods 24, connect these plungers with t e crank pins, 25, upon the shaft 26, and the gear wheels 27 and 28, and crank 29 are employed to operate the crank ins.

p The several ioors are preferably inclined to keep the ve etable parts in close contact with the pungers. f Y

Having kdescribed the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: f

1. In a vegetable cutter, vertical stationary knives and `substantially horizontal reciprocating plungers, arranged in banks, floors upon which said plungers operate, each bank of knives and plungers being a multiple number of the next bank above, and artitions separating the plungers in each ank.

2. In a vegetable cutter, the combination of stationary Vertical kniyes spaced across inclined edges for each plunger and means the machine, horizontally reciprocating for reciprocating said plungers. 10 plungers, the said knives and plungers being ln testimony whereof I liereunto set my arranged in banks at dierent levels, floors hand this 27th day of June 1907.

upon Which the said plungers operate, each Y DANIEL C. RULE, JR. bank of knives and plungers being a mulln presence oftiple number .of the next bank above, par- W. A. WOLFE,

titions separating the plungers in each bank, T. DAILEY. 

